Berth lamp



1 To all whom it may concern:

. are illustrated in the accompanying draw- UNITED STATES PAT N oF-F cnT 'rHoMAs A. nneenor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssrGivonmo rma: ADAMS & iwnsrtnxn- COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF TLL-TNOIS.

BERTH LAMP.

Be it known that I, THoMAs A. Lnoen, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Berth Lamps, of which the following is a specification and which ings, forming a part thereof.

. The invention relates to berth lamps for" use in sleeping cars and similar situations,

' and of the type comprising an Openable door or panel carrying the lamp and'pro vided with switch mechanism for closing the circuit upon the opening of the door.

The object of the inventionis top'rovide; in a device of thisfcharacter, an improved formed of switch mechanism which will be more certain in its action than the switches whichhave heretofore been employed.

The invention consists of a device such as is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which v Fig. 1 is a rear elevation of the lampin open or operative position;

Fig. 2 is a plan section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the lamp inclosed or inoperative position; and

Fig. 4 is a plan section on the lane t-t of Fig. 3.

The invention is shown in connection with the berth lamp forming the subject of Letters Patent No. 942,963, of December 14, 1909, to William S. Hamm & Thomas A. Legge, but isappllicable to lamps of other forms having an openable bulb-carrying door.

There is shown at 10a frame adapted to be secured to a wall and. to bound an aperture therein. Within this frame there is pivotally mounted a member comprising two rigidly connected plates 11, 12, the

former for closing the frame aperture when the lamp is not in use, and'the other for closing such aperture when the lamp is in service. A plate 13 is mounted at the upper margins of the two plates 11 and 12, for carrying a bulb socket 14:. A spring, as 15, reacts between the door and the frame for normally throwing the lamp to service position, the door being heldin closed position by means of a suitable latch,asl shown at 16, controlled by a push button 17 The leading-inwires are shown at 18, 19,

Specification of Letters' Patentf Patented an Application filed hag-est 7, 1920. Serial in. 401,982.

- toward the insulating bliick; 7

and are connected, respectively, to binding posts 20,. 21, fixedly attached and suitably insulated from the inner face of the frame 10, one of these binding posts being located preferably at the top and bottom of "the frame. Each of these binding posts comprises one element of the switch mechanism.

As most plainly shownin Fig. 2,"thes,e

binding posts may conveniently be formed of a piece .of sheet metal 22, attached ton block' of insulating inaterial23, "which in turn is secured to theffrarne 10, one end-6f the element '22 being folded outwardly and tie inclined backwardly, as shownat 24, the

Wire-retaining I screw '25 being set" through a portion l thereofiwhi'ch is bent inwardly y The two ends 26, 27,, or 'tlielocal. Or ana I circuit are attached one. to eachv era pair of plungers "28, 29, slid ably Finouiited. brackets 30, 31, securedfrespectively,ito'the inner faces of upwardly and downwardly projecting extensions, as 32, of the plate 12, a suitable insulating terposed.

The plungers .28, .29, are thus aligned with the switch elements associated with the line binding posts, and the forward end of each of these plungers is turned outwardly at an inclination corresponding with that of the element24c, as shown at 34:. An-

block, as 33, being inexpansion spring 35 is coiled about each of the plungers 28, 29, reacting between a shoulder thereon and the bracket by which the plungerds carried.

- The parts are so positioned and proportioned that as the door swings outward to i bring the lamp into service position the outwardly inclined end 34 of each of the plungers makes sliding contact with the switch element 24 and the plunger is forced backwardly againstthe resistance of the,

spring 35.

' Openable berth lamps are subjected to severe usage, and experience has shown that switch elements formed of resilient material become distorted and bent by violent slamming of the door, and their action is rendered uncertain, also, by the sagging of, the door due to wear or distortion of its pivots.

In the device herein shown and described. j the engaging elements of the switch are.

rigid, the movement of the plunger is very slight, and the spring will withstand any amountof jarring or slamming to which the lamp may be subjected. The contacting faces of the switch elements may be of sufficient width to insure proper engagement, regardless of the condition of the door pivots.

WVhile a practical and preferred form of construction is shown and described, various changes of detail may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a berth lamp in combination, a frame, a door pivotally mounted on the frame, a pair of line circuit terminals on the frame, each terminal comprising a switch element, a lamp socket carried by the door, a pair of spring-advanced plungers carried by the door each electrically connected to the socket circuit and positioned to slidably engage the switch element of one of the line terminals.

,2. In a berth lamp, in combination, a frame, a door pivotally mounted on the frame, a line circuit terminal on the frame and comprising a switch element, a lamp socket carried by the door and having a local circuit, a slidable spring-advanced switch element carried by the door and electrically connected with the local circuit and positioned to make a wiping contact with the first-named switch element in one position of the door.

3. A berth lamp comprising, in combination, a frame, a door pivotally mounted on 'the frame, a lamp carried by the door, a

local circuit for the lamp, a terminal mounted on the frame at each end of the door, each terminal connected to one side of a line circuit, a contact surface on each terminal lying in a plane parallel with the pivotal axis of the door and forming an acute angle with the plane of the door frame, and a resiliently yielding terminal connected with each side of the local circuit and carried by the door, said terminals each adapted to make wiping contact with one of said surfaces. r

4. A berth lamp comprising, in combination, a frame, a door pivotally mounted on the frame, a local lamp circuit carried by the door, terminals mounted on the frame one at each end of the door connected each to one side of the line circuit, a contact surface on each terminal lying in a plane parallel withthe pivotal axis of the door forming an acute angle withthe plane of the door frame and sloping away from the free edge of the door when the door is closed, local circuit terminals carried by the door, one making a wiping contact with each of said surfaces and resiliently pressed thereagainst.

THOMAS A. EGGE; I 

